Chirkunda is a small border town in Dhanbad district of the Indian state of Jharkhand, where a future national icon came to play a local tennis-ball cricket tournament in the late 1990s. There are hundreds of towns like Chirkunda across Jharkhand, which has mostly made the news for Maoist unrest and political instability. And many people from many such towns will feel pride in the story of a boy from their capital Ranchi, who rose and rose from anonymity.

That boy, MS Dhoni, now returns to his hometown as India captain, World Cup winner, to play in Ranchi's first ODI. To say that Ranchi is an emotional place right now is an understatement. And it is not an overstatement to say that Ranchi gets whatever attention it does mostly because it produced Dhoni.

For the moment, between Ranchi and Dhoni, the series itself has taken a bit of a backseat. England, of course, will know that their bowlers have taken a battering, a good part of it from Dhoni himself, in both the previous ODIs in Rajkot and Kochi. While their batsmen managed to just outdo India's in the first ODI, they fell woefully short in the second, against swing and spin alike. The Kochi loss bore traces of the old England and why they have lost 17 of their previous 20 ODIs in India - unable to control the rampaging home batsmen and unable to tackle the sticky local conditions.

England already know that this is not exactly the India side of old, which was extremely difficult to overcome on home soil. The personnel, especially the batsmen, might not have changed drastically, but times certainly have for Dhoni and his team.

Form guide

(Most recent first)India WLWLLEngland LWLWW

In the spotlight

Thousands lined the route from the Birsa Munda airport to the team hotel in Ranchi to catch a glimpse of MS Dhoni, who has said he wasn't expecting such a tremendous reception, and felt "humbled". Dhoni is one of the very few India cricketers to come somewhat close to Sachin Tendulkar in terms of popularity and adulation, as well as in his ability to shut himself off from it all. There is no doubt he could feel overwhelmed when he walks out to the middle in the city he grew up in. There is also no doubt that he won't allow his game to be affected by the emotions of the thousands who will be screaming out his name from the stands.

Kevin Pietersen is in some form. His magnificent 186 on a Mumbai turner proved that last November and the way he walked down the pitch and hit balls from off to leg in Rajkot and Kochi reinforces the case. But both those knocks have been terminated in the forties. Pietersen can't be denied for too long.

Team news

Tim Bresnan missed the Kochi ODI with a niggle and, if fit, should return in place of Chris Woakes. Will England persist with Jade Dernbach? The fast bowler got the wicket of Dhoni in Rajkot and had kept India in check in the batting Powerplay before he and his bag of variations fell apart at the death.

Amid all the local excitement, Dhoni was hit on the right thumb while batting against the bowling coach Joe Dawes in the nets. That was the end of his practice as he received ice treatment, but he is expected to be fit to play. With Shami Ahmed not doing badly at all in the four overs he got in Kochi, India can be expected to stick to a winning combination.

The Jharkhand State Cricket Association stadium has hosted just two first-class games, both of which were drawn. The curator has been quoted as saying he expects the side batting first to make around 350 on the "sporting wicket". Winter has started to wind down in the east of the country, with Jharkhand experiencing milder weather over the past few days. The curator does not expect dew to be a major factor. A light drizzle is forecast for later in the evening.

Stats and trivia

Before Rajkot, the last time England beat India in India in an ODI was in April 2006, in Ranchi's neighbouring city of Jamshedpur.

Ranchi will become India's 42nd ODI venue.

Quotes

"Very high marks, let's say nine out of ten. I haven't given a perfect ten because even the best can be improved ... the good players can become even better, so also stadiums and facilities."MS Dhoni rates the new stadium in his hometown

@jmcilhinney on (January 19 2013, 01:38 AM GMT) re "I'd probably rate England at 50% if they bat first" - think the glass is very much half full rather than half empty there

JG2704
on January 19, 2013, 9:13 GMT

@landl47 on (January 18 2013, 23:22 PM GMT) re "The two most economical England bowlers in both ODIs were the spinners, and Swann and Panesar" - Which series are you referring to exactly? Otherwise I agree with your post. It's only a gamble changing things around if what you are doing is working.

@SK5983 on (January 19 2013, 05:44 AM GMT) 100% agree there. I would not be so arrogant as to say Eng would have won the 1st test had we played both spinners (the margin was so big and that would be sour grapes) but I'm sure we would at least have made it a closer match

on January 19, 2013, 7:07 GMT

i am from chirkunda ,
no doubt for us MSD is our real hero.

lonewarriorram
on January 19, 2013, 5:58 GMT

Young Indian bowlers are doing decent job barring Ishant Sharma & Dinda to an extent (especially in the first spell). I wish Rahane to score couple of 50+ which is desparately required before series so that even Gambhir will feel the pressure to keep his place.

Bresnan or Dernbach makes no difference to Indian scorecard. Poms must play Briggs in couple of matches even if he goes for runs. He may not be as bad as Jade who can only bowl good 2/3 overs in batting powerplay.

Expecting a good contest ahead

realfan
on January 19, 2013, 5:54 GMT

i want to see dhoni come up the order may be in 3rd position....as this seems to be batting friendly... i want to see dhoni fireworks in ranchi...........

QingdaoXI
on January 19, 2013, 5:44 GMT

@Dear England Selectors, You have to keep it in Mind whenever you tour India, play in India as India plays, i mean team composition, that was the only reason you llost thefirs t test nas win other two that also made Indian team unsettled and they tried to unsettled there team by playing 3 spinners in 3 rd test and 4 in 4 test. If you are Playin ODI in India you need 2 good spinners in side and 2 not that good, but some time economically part--time spinners and 1 fast bowler and 2 swing bolwer thats all. This time by your team compositon i can see you have strenghthen your batting but dont have any economical bowlere in top five who can bowl in crisis when 1-2 of the top 4-5 bowlers have bad day. I have seen many post from england fan to play the team in the same way i have suggested, but selectors, coach and captain never listen us and same happens to India too when they are touring and nowadays it has started happening in India too.

Mangeshlim
on January 19, 2013, 5:35 GMT

"Public memory is very short " & more of one sided... to say that England's performance is understandavle as they are carrying B team !! the famous five listed Broad, Swan, Trott, Anderson etc -what has happend to them in ODIS s through hands of India is forgotten fast!! India is also testing a new side & including Zak, Sehwag,Irafn, No sachin its all new group trying to prove itself!!, By the way so called "Fluke" of India's 2 WC wins !!! who has prevented others to do that, it takes great efforts for getting there & do that "Fluke" after 1983 WC win India won several Sub continent Titles as also in 1985 won the B & H world series cup, Those were derived Titles & not so called flukes. To call India a "also ran" side is a big blunder made. till 18 months last India had both Test & ODI No 1 , the time is not all equal & downs are always greeted by Ups at next!! Best Luck Team India , You play on merits & surge ahead for preparation of your 3 rd WC Title-Oh!! rather 3rd Fluke!!

supadupamonk
on January 19, 2013, 5:16 GMT

Dhoni must give chance to new bowlers and batsmen in order to build a new strong team...we have to test our bench strength otherwise it will be very difficult for us in the future...

Vishnu27
on January 19, 2013, 5:15 GMT

TrueLankan: maybe your lot could perhaps actually TRY & win a maiden test match in Australia. Now that would be something worth diverting the relevance of an article for.

ZsZs
on January 19, 2013, 5:06 GMT

England bowlers were a big disappointment in 2md ODI. Hope they find their mettle.

JG2704
on January 19, 2013, 9:15 GMT

@jmcilhinney on (January 19 2013, 01:38 AM GMT) re "I'd probably rate England at 50% if they bat first" - think the glass is very much half full rather than half empty there

JG2704
on January 19, 2013, 9:13 GMT

@landl47 on (January 18 2013, 23:22 PM GMT) re "The two most economical England bowlers in both ODIs were the spinners, and Swann and Panesar" - Which series are you referring to exactly? Otherwise I agree with your post. It's only a gamble changing things around if what you are doing is working.

@SK5983 on (January 19 2013, 05:44 AM GMT) 100% agree there. I would not be so arrogant as to say Eng would have won the 1st test had we played both spinners (the margin was so big and that would be sour grapes) but I'm sure we would at least have made it a closer match

on January 19, 2013, 7:07 GMT

i am from chirkunda ,
no doubt for us MSD is our real hero.

lonewarriorram
on January 19, 2013, 5:58 GMT

Young Indian bowlers are doing decent job barring Ishant Sharma & Dinda to an extent (especially in the first spell). I wish Rahane to score couple of 50+ which is desparately required before series so that even Gambhir will feel the pressure to keep his place.

Bresnan or Dernbach makes no difference to Indian scorecard. Poms must play Briggs in couple of matches even if he goes for runs. He may not be as bad as Jade who can only bowl good 2/3 overs in batting powerplay.

Expecting a good contest ahead

realfan
on January 19, 2013, 5:54 GMT

i want to see dhoni come up the order may be in 3rd position....as this seems to be batting friendly... i want to see dhoni fireworks in ranchi...........

QingdaoXI
on January 19, 2013, 5:44 GMT

@Dear England Selectors, You have to keep it in Mind whenever you tour India, play in India as India plays, i mean team composition, that was the only reason you llost thefirs t test nas win other two that also made Indian team unsettled and they tried to unsettled there team by playing 3 spinners in 3 rd test and 4 in 4 test. If you are Playin ODI in India you need 2 good spinners in side and 2 not that good, but some time economically part--time spinners and 1 fast bowler and 2 swing bolwer thats all. This time by your team compositon i can see you have strenghthen your batting but dont have any economical bowlere in top five who can bowl in crisis when 1-2 of the top 4-5 bowlers have bad day. I have seen many post from england fan to play the team in the same way i have suggested, but selectors, coach and captain never listen us and same happens to India too when they are touring and nowadays it has started happening in India too.

Mangeshlim
on January 19, 2013, 5:35 GMT

"Public memory is very short " & more of one sided... to say that England's performance is understandavle as they are carrying B team !! the famous five listed Broad, Swan, Trott, Anderson etc -what has happend to them in ODIS s through hands of India is forgotten fast!! India is also testing a new side & including Zak, Sehwag,Irafn, No sachin its all new group trying to prove itself!!, By the way so called "Fluke" of India's 2 WC wins !!! who has prevented others to do that, it takes great efforts for getting there & do that "Fluke" after 1983 WC win India won several Sub continent Titles as also in 1985 won the B & H world series cup, Those were derived Titles & not so called flukes. To call India a "also ran" side is a big blunder made. till 18 months last India had both Test & ODI No 1 , the time is not all equal & downs are always greeted by Ups at next!! Best Luck Team India , You play on merits & surge ahead for preparation of your 3 rd WC Title-Oh!! rather 3rd Fluke!!

supadupamonk
on January 19, 2013, 5:16 GMT

Dhoni must give chance to new bowlers and batsmen in order to build a new strong team...we have to test our bench strength otherwise it will be very difficult for us in the future...

Vishnu27
on January 19, 2013, 5:15 GMT

TrueLankan: maybe your lot could perhaps actually TRY & win a maiden test match in Australia. Now that would be something worth diverting the relevance of an article for.

ZsZs
on January 19, 2013, 5:06 GMT

England bowlers were a big disappointment in 2md ODI. Hope they find their mettle.

on January 19, 2013, 5:05 GMT

india winning this series.

Vishnu27
on January 19, 2013, 5:01 GMT

Front-Foot-Lunge: how about commenting on the article & be mildly relevant? Your relentless trolling is oh-so tiresome. I have noted more than a few England players (not to mention, numerous other internationals) are very happy to come out the "'New Year Minnow Big Bash'"(whatever that is meant to imply).

Sugath
on January 19, 2013, 4:44 GMT

Dhoni may be a cool guy who does not remonstrate but the more he leads India does not seem to have the strategic approach right most times. Today will see how he will build on the win or let it slip. Indians should not take the win too much to the head because that can make the performance very brittle

AMAZINGFAN
on January 19, 2013, 2:59 GMT

dhoni will give his best today....

Hammond
on January 19, 2013, 2:30 GMT

RandyOz is actually watching his own odi side slide in 5th place and his test side soon to join them. 5th place = bog average. About right.

jmcilhinney
on January 19, 2013, 1:38 GMT

I think that it's safe to say that the likelihood of an England win hinges heavily on the toss. I'd probably rate England at 50% if they bat first and 20% if they bowl first. Either way, they need an improved bowling performance. The batting was poor in game 2 but good in game 1 while the bowling was not good in either. I expect India to score runs regardless but there has been way too much bowled on or outside the leg stump. If England can improve their line then that will improve their chances straight off. They could do with improving their length too but I see that as far less likely. The length is not such an issue if the line is better though. It would be good to see Briggs in the team but I don't see it happening. It seem that he's only there in case of an injury to Tredwell. Are England's selectors being consistent or intractable?

KiwiRocker-
on January 19, 2013, 0:51 GMT

I can not agree anymore with RandyOZ- This series confirms that England and India are both minnows. While, one can understand what England is doing by resting Anderson, Swann, Broad, Trott etc and playing their 'B' team, one has to feel for India. They still lost first ODI againt this English team. As far as India is concerned, this horse is bolted folks. They suffered an embarrassing loss to Pak and narrowly saved a brown wash. Hash_Tag: Your comment makes no sense. Being world champ means nothing. India by fluke was also world champ in 1983 and then went on to lose everywhere including a humiliation against West Indies at home and a 6-1 ODI series loss to Pak in 1986. India's world cup win is as hollow as .R.Ashwin's attempts to pause and fool batsmen! Right now, SA, Pak, Australia and SL are top four sides and rest is just a second tier of teams! Indeed Australia lost against SL and got bowled out at 74 but they also came back and reduced SL to 74/6.They are still quality team!

landl47
on January 18, 2013, 23:22 GMT

Congratulations to Ranchi on getting to host an international match. It must be thrilling for a relatively less well-known area to have the stars of cricket coming to play there. I hope you get to see a good game, though you'll forgive me, I'm sure, for not wishing India success! I hope India plays well, I just hope England plays a little bit better.

@JG and jmc: I think experience on this tour and others has shown that spinners are the way to go in the subcontinent. The two most economical England bowlers in both ODIs were the spinners, and Swann and Panesar (Monty should be in this squad) bowled England to victory in the tests. England should have bowled Root more in the last game and picked Briggs instead of Dernbach. If they do that this time and just use Finn and Bresnan at the start and very end of the innings, they have a better chance. I'm not saying they'll win, but it's their best hope.

jiten27
on January 18, 2013, 23:11 GMT

how come pujara and manoj tiwari dont get chance, d4rop gambhir and yuvraj out ,they have been in cricket for a long time an d does not shaw their tellant yet, they should play like hashim amla and greham smith,

RameshRayaprolu
on January 18, 2013, 23:10 GMT

Too much expectations can lead to tragedies ! Be Careful and watchful MSD...

Watch out for Cook and KP.......if MSD and team can hold these guys, this game can look promisingly good for India.

subbass
on January 18, 2013, 22:29 GMT

I findly remeber the Test series. What's the score atm in this ODI series please ? I'm not certain, but is it currently 7-7 ? With 23 to play ?

Front-Foot-Lunge
on January 18, 2013, 22:23 GMT

As Australia wriggle around the dark recesses of the pool of amateur cricket, England's youngters have shown far more fight and skill this series, far more than the hapless Australian 'A' team playing the 'New Year Minnow Big Bash'.

In this series, for the young bowlers, accuracy has been an issue. Of course these flat decks are known infamously as the most difficult in the world for a fast bowler: Needless to say though, England's young Pacemen have shown they are streets ahead of India's seam attack. On the spin front, Tredwell has hilariously outbowled India's spinners, even though he is England's 6th or 7th choice spinner! England's batting was average for the last match as they threw their wickets away, albeit batting second on a difficult pitch, but they have already proved they can learn fast: they've just got to continue with that same mentality.

on January 18, 2013, 22:06 GMT

" The curator has been quoted as saying he expects the side batting first to make around 350" :DD !
Will Miss Sehwag On This Track !
Best Ov lUck Men In Blue ^_^ Nd England :P

JG2704
on January 18, 2013, 22:00 GMT

@jmcilhinney on (January 18 2013, 15:00 PM GMT) Yeah that's obviously their thinking but the thing is it's not working with pacers at the death so why not try a different approach? If it worked for 50% or more of the time then fair enough and they could always go back to pace if spin turns out to be more expensive. For me , bringing in Bres and Meaker for Woakes and Jade is more of a sideways step

@CandidIndian on (January 18 2013, 15:57 PM GMT) I'm not sure. Even Root and Patel are doing at least as well as Finn (in terms of economy) . Anyway I'm just saying have 2 pacers (Finn obviously included) and bring in Briggs for Jade. I think Meaker was a bit erratic last time I saw him

@SIRSOBERZ on (January 18 2013, 16:58 PM GMT) Woakes is already in the side and Root has turned out (so far) to be one of our better bowling options

@gsingh7 on (January 18 2013, 19:37 PM GMT) Lol at the "putting their collective feet in their mouths" after your comms during the test series

SurlyCynic
on January 18, 2013, 21:57 GMT

I predict another humiliating disaster with Giles in charge.

on January 18, 2013, 21:48 GMT

All the best to the men in blue!

Hash_Tag
on January 18, 2013, 21:20 GMT

@RandyOZ on (January 18 2013, 16:24 PM GMT) why don't you take a break - go and have a look at the score in the Aus V SL ODI before you come here with your unwelcome nonsense. If India are the bottom of the pile then why is it that we are ODI World Champions? Maybe when Australia were ODI World Champions they too were "bottom" of the pile?

bijuphilip
on January 18, 2013, 21:13 GMT

No doubt,rohit sharma is a class player,but his attitude towars game sucks.he is not hungry,he is laizy,not hirsty to win the match.
the difference between raina,thivary compared to rohit they want to win the game.

Just class is not enough to being in ateam.
I have more hope on ampadi rayidu,rahane and pujara than rohit.
Irfan pathan,paveen kumar,B.Kumar and sreesanth should be in the team.
aswin should go for rahul sharma or even murali karthik

Shan156
on January 18, 2013, 20:58 GMT

@Front-Foot-Lunge on (January 18 2013, 13:19 PM GMT) , that is not a great comment mate. We need to give credit where it is due. Even with our first choice side, it would be difficult to beat India in India, especially in ODIs. We also need to take ODIs more seriously. Remember, and our Indian friends always remind us, we haven't won the ODI WC yet. Also, our youngsters have not performed great in the ODIs in India. Our bowlers were hammered in both games and our batsman were miserable in the second. Every series is important. For some of us, tests are more important but that doesn't mean you could give up ODIs without a fight at least.

Shan156
on January 18, 2013, 20:54 GMT

@CandidIndian, "srilankans are much better and powerfull team than a india."

Perhaps, he meant to say that SL are a much better team than India 'A' and not "a india":-) Although, that is not beyond doubt too.

@RandyOz, your lot just suffered a humilating defeat after being bowled out for 74. Next up, you will be facing India and England away and without Mr.Cricket, you should be happy if you manage to even draw a game. If I were you, I wouldn't ridicule other teams for a while at least.

ProdigyA
on January 18, 2013, 19:59 GMT

oh..there you go... one win and the little ratts are sqeaking again...world champs and what not... Insanity has no bounds... just go play ur SLPL

Nutcutlet
on January 18, 2013, 19:49 GMT

AS an exercise in imagination, I wonder what it must be like to be a cricket-mad youngster 12 or 13 yrs old in Ranchi tomorrow afternoon! I hope that he (or she!) has a match to remember, with the focus on the the home town & national hero, MSD. Such experiences capture cricket fans for life & therefore they are infinitely precious. To all the young fans (& the not-so-young!) have a ball! Appreciate, please, good play from whichever players produce some on both sides & remember that sportsmanship can shine as brightly as high skill in your memory! I'll be getting up before 6 a.m. in snowy sub-zero Lancashire, ready to watch... Let's hope for a great game, full of skill & sportsmanship!

gsingh7
on January 18, 2013, 19:37 GMT

come on india we need 4-1 win , sl posters predicting 4-1 win over aus and indian defeat are putting their collective feet in their mouths, lets see how it pans out

reghuh
on January 18, 2013, 19:36 GMT

Dear Captain MS, whatever you do ,for gods sake pls avoid Ishant Sharma, or else you will not have even 1 in a million chance to produce a good bowling effort.Such kind of bowlers should not even play in county cricket.INDIA is YET TO SEE EVEN A SINGLE FULL LENGTH BALL,leave alone yorker(which indian bowlers ever since era of Manoj Prabhakhar and Initial days of Ajit Agarkar have forgotten).Every bowler atleast tries to do something differrent if the way he is going is not succesful, but Ishant Sharma is so hopeless....no improvements, no variations, not even a differrent try...no matter even the world ends, he will bowl the same kind of ball..........

Electric_L0ser_Wacko
on January 18, 2013, 19:23 GMT

Funny to see so many SL posters here after their limp to reach paltry 76 and they're world beaters now ? please remind me what happened to your last 3 bilateral series against India?

Vilander
on January 18, 2013, 19:23 GMT

KP will probably win a game i wonder which one its going to be..hopefully ind can put a couple of games before that...

anandkr
on January 18, 2013, 19:19 GMT

Thanks cricinfo. Its amazing how cricinfo writers can touch the pulse of average small town boys like me when they have to. Mention of Chirkunda and Dhoni playing a Tennis Ball Cricket is so reminiscent of many of small town boys like us who were passionate about cricket and because of lack of facilities we all changed gears from leather balls, pads etc to much cheaper option in Tennis ball Cricket. That time it would have been hard to imagine that a boy among us following the similar route will eventually captain India, would go on to become most successful captain, win two world cups for us and would also give Ranchi its first world class Stadium and would himself play an international ODI before the emotional home crowd. What-A-Hero?

on January 18, 2013, 18:57 GMT

@lovedFansOfIndianCricket...sir as you and me evry cricketer is not some. Rohit is Rohit only and offcource Manoj is Manoj. Pl dont comopare anyone to anybody. If you are doing this then please answer what happend to Manoj in WI ODI series when Rohit scored tones of runs ? One century cant be mejorment of any player. Class is permenent and form is temperary. Remember. Sachin scored 1st century in 86th ODI appearence. Dravid scored onky 1090 runs is his first 70 ODI matches and finished making over 10000 runs. Be sure in mind. Rohit is not any relative of Dhoni or Sandip Patil. It s only class and the efforts which they are watching in nets which we are not. Everybody is sure if Rohts class cse we all have witnessed his performance on pitches of Aussies and SA. Today everybody wants their favorite players to be given chance immediately. What will happen when Manoj fails one or two innings ? Some another player will come into picture. This way you cant make strong team.

hhillbumper
on January 18, 2013, 18:49 GMT

lets hope England play to their potential.Also dear God please rotate Dernbach out of the team. In fact please pick him for IPL. We will pay for him to stay. it will be Indian crickets gift to England and we would never forget such a kind gesture.

liaqathussain
on January 18, 2013, 18:47 GMT

there is cricket and then there is TEST cricket,

as a real supporter test cricket is the only real deal,

the rest are played and forgotten with in 1 week,

M.M.Gopal
on January 18, 2013, 18:35 GMT

It is a great pride to see the First ODI on the 42nd venue of Indian ODI,Ranchi.This place
is not only attached to Dhoni but for me too being my Sasural.I will be watching this match anxiously from Oregon,USA starting at pst hours 22.30. Hope the team of Dhoni make my full night watching worth.
Wishing the best from USA. Raina do the best I have faith on you as well.

on January 18, 2013, 18:30 GMT

India has to prove their point here in Ranchi, we are having formidable batting line up but bad form of VK and gauti hurting india more in ODIs. I have seen bit of VK's form in cochi and i hope he can carry and deliver better in Ranchi ODI. Gauti has to work lot to get his form back as he is struggling from the Test serious and he has to work on his foot work. Yuvi has to carry his Rajkot form and deliver better. Its MSD first home town international match and india has to bat and bowl better to give him good gift. Best of luck for both team.

Cpt.Meanster
on January 18, 2013, 18:28 GMT

@RandyOZ: Man, your comments are worst than a rotten pie. At least England have the players to challenge India; Australia have NONE. With Mike Hussey gone, the test team looks worse than a Big Bash League side. Just pray your beloved boys from 'down under' don't get humiliated against a resurgent India.

Cpt.Meanster
on January 18, 2013, 18:26 GMT

@liaqathussein: In sport nobody laughs at no one. Winning and losing is part of the game. I am not sure which country you support but remember that your team has also LOST games. Losing is not a bad thing if a team is willing to learn from it. India have done well to come back into this series. You have to remember India are going through a transition. The rest of the teams are settled. The same can be said about SL too. So a team in transition will eventually end up losing games due to inexperience. Nobody is laughing at India right now. Perhaps your silly comment will surely warrant the whole Cricinfo to laugh at your words.

Big3BOSS
on January 18, 2013, 18:11 GMT

SL were lucky to bowl first. If they had batted first Australia would have won for sure. And anyway considering SL limped and huffed puffed to victory is a sign of things to come. As for young Indians struggling on flat pitches...well 280+ was scored in both the win as well as the loss and Kohli and Yuvraj are yet to get runs. Anyway depends on what glasses one is wearing and looking at things.

Indian_Cricket_Fanatic
on January 18, 2013, 17:58 GMT

I hope Dhoni be getting man of the match for his captaincy and batting....:)

brusselslion
on January 18, 2013, 17:57 GMT

I find the absence of Hales & Buttler from the squad baffling. As a Surrey supporter, I wouldn't have either of our two guys in the team. Meaker can be quick but he skids it through, as opposed to getting bounce, which causes most concern to Indian batsmen: I don't know what's happened to Dernbach. Maybe he tries too many variations? He also used to be able to put in the occasional very quick ball (touching 90mph) but he seems to have lost that ability.

Briggs for Patel? Maybe. He might be economical but if not, then we're in trouble. He's not a wicket taker and he can't bat.

ECPP
on January 18, 2013, 17:54 GMT

@KC69... are you saying the indian team is a superior team compared to Sri Lanka? It's you who needs a reality check on your team. If you think today's win over australia has nothing to do with talent, I pity your knowledge on cricket.

ashes61
on January 18, 2013, 17:48 GMT

JustIPL: It's not so much taking a risk with ENG selection as making a conscious decision to rest & rotate players & give youngsters experience. Several of the newer players have fairly equal claims, so they will compete against each other for future places. On paper, the team may be weaker than it might have been, but not necessarily so. It is also giving them valuable experience in alien conditions, which may be useful in future Tests. Risk of defeat? Of course! But well worth taking, by resting players for the forthcoming NZ Tests. Remember, no ODI or T20 win is worth jeopardising our chances against even a weak Test side. Your cricinfo name suggests you haven't yet grasped this. Some ODIs are worthwhile, but none (not even W/Cup) can compare with Tests. T20 can be jolly good light-hearted fun, but must never be confused with the real thing. It would be nice to beat India with this experimental squad but the imminent Tests are, of course, ENG's priority. Then the Ashes!!!

LovedFansofIndianCricket
on January 18, 2013, 17:43 GMT

@ Anand Palwankar. Talented player will not loosing form by sitting on bench and does not care about critics. If Rohith Sharma not gain form due to critics he is not able to gain form. Rohith Shama lost his form by sitting on bech then how Manoj Tiwary scored Century aganist WI or Half century and four wicket haul against SL by sitting more time in bench than Rohith. If Rohith is very unlucky player(missing the test due to Injury) Tiwary came to scene before Rohit(He got injured against Bangla in 2007). Sitting on Bench not the cause for loosing form. Pujara also waited more time and got chance after Dravid and Laxman retired. Think about contry first then Individual. Sorry mate.

Tlotoxl
on January 18, 2013, 17:42 GMT

@Eat_sleep_play_cricket: Test Cricket *is* the gold standard, both the other formats are irrelevant sideshows, You very quickly forget that England won the first ODI without Trott, Anderson, Broad and Swann, all rested for the important cricket in a few weeks time, the tests against NZ. If English ODI cricket is horrible how come Eng are second in the rankings just one point behind SA and above India? how horrible is your team if you can lose to the England B team?

reghuh
on January 18, 2013, 17:22 GMT

Dear Captain MS, whatever you do ,for gods sake pls avoid Ishant Sharma, or else you will not have even 1 in a million chance to produce a good bowling effort.Such kind of bowlers should not even play in county cricket.INDIA is YET TO SEE EVEN A SINGLE FULL LENGTH BALL,leave alone yorker(which indian bowlers ever since era of Manoj Prabhakhar and Initial days of Ajit Agarkar have forgotten).Every bowler atleast tries to do something differrent if the way he is going is not succesful, but Ishant Sharma is so hopeless....no improvements, no variations, not even a differrent try...no matter even the world ends, he will bowl the same kind of ball..........

Al_Bundy1
on January 18, 2013, 17:08 GMT

Don't celebrate too much b4 the game. You never know - u may not get a chance to celebrate after the game!! That said India's top order is weak. Dhoni single handedly has been saving India in this ODI series. Please replace Gambhir with Pujara. Ishant Sharma is no longer a prodigy - please get rid of him. If I were a selector, I would play another Jharkhand boy - Shabazz Nadeem instead of Ashwin.

CandidIndian
on January 18, 2013, 17:02 GMT

I personally have huge respect for SL cricket team and nation overall .But since some SL jokers are trolling here without presenting any facts and stats ,it will be great to put some stats to clear the picture.Overall India vs SL in ODIs , India won 75 , SL 52,in last 10 ODIs India has won 7 or 8, not sure of exact number there.In tests India won 14 , SL won 6.How many test series have SL won in Eng and WI,? how many tests have they won in Australia and India?Indian team has been playing poorly in last two years still they won against SL in SL , that too 4-1.If mighty Srilankans are better than India why their team struggle against India ,why they are lagging behind in head to head stats?

CandidIndian
on January 18, 2013, 17:01 GMT

I personally have huge respect for SL cricket team and nation overall .But since some SL jokers are trolling here without presenting any facts and stats ,it will be great to put some stats to clear the picture.Overall India vs SL in ODIs , India won 75 , SL 52,in last 10 ODIs India has won 7 or 8, not sure of exact number there.In tests India won 14 , SL won 6.How many test series have SL won in Eng and WI,? how many tests have they won in Australia and India?Indian team has been playing poorly in last two years still they won against SL in SL , that too 4-1.If mighty Srilankans are better than India why their team struggle against India ,why they are lagging behind in head to head stats?

BRUTALANALYST
on January 18, 2013, 16:58 GMT

England should drop ROOT, KIESWETTER AND DERBACH for HALES BUTLER and MEAKER/WOAKES

kc69
on January 18, 2013, 16:55 GMT

I don't know why Lankan fans try to jump in comparing Sri Lanka with India.All i see is that its because of insecurity.But the fact remains the same Sri Lanka's win today was not due to talent but the conditions and an incorrect decision of Micheal Clarke to Bat first in that conditions similar to the 1 win that Sri Lanka had against India at Hambantota during their 4-1 loss to India in the last tour of India to Sri Lanka.Dont worry you guys will get reality check by aussies in next match.

SandeepJaiswalXI
on January 18, 2013, 16:55 GMT

Rohit Sharma is a waste player......this guy has played 80 ODI games in the name of talent and has performed nothing.....I dont remember a player as lucky as Manoj Tiwary and believe u me..its all because of Rohit Sharma flattering tactics before Dhoni which has resulted in his bad luck....manoj tiwary is far far better than Rohit Dhoni Sharma......

on January 18, 2013, 16:46 GMT

@Sinhaya-2 and @TrueLankan - Seems like Sri Lanka has been boosting confidence for a lot of teams over years. BTW... other than a world cup victory (fueled by forfeits) that happened 17 years ago - can you provide me with examples of Sri Lanka Lions dominating world cricket? I don't think so. Is SL a good cricket side - absolutely. But please stop extrapolating being good to being invincible. You're only 2-1 up in the series in Aus, and its FAR from being 4-1. And trust me, the only way the India-Eng series would get to 4-1 is if India wins 4-1.

BustIPL
on January 18, 2013, 16:41 GMT

What a dream run Dhoni is having as india look very fragile without him and achieving that importance in the eyes of the world's largest cricket audience is really a great achievement. Apart from the time when he lived in dead numbers to maintain averages like Tendulkar, he has been a thinking character. He has been a constant force in the indian lower order even when seniors ruled the top order. His stature has grown so much that there was demand recently to bat up the order which he rightly denied as top order should be independent of him. England is taking a great risk by not playing the best eleven in the alien conditions. This approach is not even working for Australia at home.Hope Dhoni will keep his good work up and both him B. Kumar are rightly there to inspire the indian youth. Also hope that Dhoni will be able to carry the burden when overseas.

on January 18, 2013, 16:40 GMT

Attention Mr.Mahi: Tips for team selection. Make sure you open with Ajinkya and Virat. Let Cheteshwar come one down followed by Yuvi,Mahi,Suresh,Ravinder. Make sure that you play Ashok,Shami and Bhuvaneshwar.Amit can be the spinner. Let Ashwin and Gautam skip one match. This team selection will help you focus on an excellent vistory to Indian team which is sure to happen in Ranchi.

on January 18, 2013, 16:35 GMT

Feeling very sorry about Rohit Sharma. Remembering last Aussie tour where he was part of 16 member Indian team. After winning two back to back MOS he went to Australia. Scored good scores in two practice matches. And then after he sat on bench for almost 45 days wuthout a sungle match. And in between sadly he lost his valuable form. Till today he is fighting hard to get it. And today under tremendous burden of critics from everywhere its very difficult to perform for any class player. Really feeling bad about him. He is just 25. But Rohit, this is the era in which you born. Now you have to grab any single opportunity you get. And repeatedly you have to make runs. Its very very tough but to stay permenently its only way. Pujaras, Kohlis, Tiwarys everyone is waiting in wing. It is agreed you are having it. But the thing is you have to produce it on field. Agreed a its very unfair what happend in Aussie with you. But still you have chabce. Come on. Just be confident. All the best !

joel4uonly
on January 18, 2013, 16:31 GMT

I wonder what Srilankan fans are doing here... I think they are very much obsessed with Indian cricket, I saw few of them commenting in the page: Saurastra vs Punjab match.. Funny.. Leave us alone you srilankans plss.. You people are very much concerned about our domestic cricket...??? Please check yours first.. and though I am not an IPL fan, srilankan fans who feel IPL is hampering your team.. instead of crying here.. please ask ur players to stop playing in our league first.. If your players are so great.. let it be we dont care and we dont browse into your domestic cricket leagues and comment on your players performance.. Here we are talking about INdia vs England, where does Malinga and Kulasekara come from.. There in Aus vs Srilanka match u ppl are bring topics on Indian and Sachin.. This is not good from your part..

Solace1
on January 18, 2013, 16:26 GMT

@TrueLankan: as u said india will surely lose 4-1 brother at a time we win 4-1 in australia, only then indian fans will realize that we lost 4-1 to india in july just to boost their morale

RandyOZ
on January 18, 2013, 16:24 GMT

The battle of the minnows continues. England on their inevitable slide to the bottom and India already there.

MEHATELK
on January 18, 2013, 16:21 GMT

TrueLankan, you team were beaten 4/1 by very recently by india in yr home soil.

Dravid_Pujara_Gravitas
on January 18, 2013, 16:17 GMT

So, Pujara gets pushed successfully to the back-burner. No wonder we continue to struggle with an occasional win here and there. I will never understand how the best current batsman in a country can find a place in the team IF AND ONLY IF a current miserable player gets injured. Oh India! My Motherland!

mzm149
on January 18, 2013, 16:11 GMT

Best of luck team England ... Hope you win tomorrow and someone scores a century.

CandidIndian
on January 18, 2013, 16:11 GMT

"srilankans are much better and powerfull team than a india."excellent use of English and more importantly this comment is totally related to article since article clearly mentions that how SL is beating Aussies in Australia and how they are world beaters overall.Also they recently thrashed India in home series 4-1 ,also they have won all their tests in India including thrashing victory in World Cup final 2011.Huge respect for genius poster.

bijuphilip
on January 18, 2013, 16:08 GMT

I would like to see Pujara open the innings with Yuvaraj sing,followed by gambir,kholi,rahane,dhoni,raina,jadeja,b.kumar,shamiahemd,irsanth.

Pujara has better technique than any body else in the team,and if yuvi plays like yuvi it's difficult to make him out,when he starts defend and spinners gethim out.so he should open the innings and put the ball on the top of the fielders in the first 15 overs.

thoughs are welcome
please respond

Bruisers
on January 18, 2013, 15:59 GMT

@Herath-UK - Kulasekara is 31, Malinga is 30. Are they really youngsters?

CandidIndian
on January 18, 2013, 15:57 GMT

JG2704-Finn has done well because he has that extra pace along with accuracy,Meaker too is similar kind of bowler ,i think he can do well especially in death overs.

Lara4life501
on January 18, 2013, 15:51 GMT

@Front_foot_Lunge-What are you talking about...any game England win is important, and any match you perform poorly in you get on cricinfo and attempt to talk down the loss and the series...pretty obvious to see how it works...so the series against South Africa last summer didnt matter at all did it...because they wiped the the floor with you,I said it before...the Australians were beaten by the same side...they put up way more of a fight than ENGLAND!!!

CandidIndian
on January 18, 2013, 15:49 GMT

Sinhaya-Thanks for kind words, SL have the momentum and they should win the series against Aussies with current form.
"Sri Lanka Will always lose in bilateral series, guys you know why obviously with IPL around"@Herath-Uk what do you mean by that, are you trying to suggest that SL players purposely under-perform against India because of playing in IPL.Common boss dont question the integrity of your own players at-least,as fans i can understand people criticizing the form of the players and their techniques but you are going too far .Its sad for SL players if majority of SL fans have similar opinions.

TrueLankan
on January 18, 2013, 15:49 GMT

The Mighty Lankan side showed how its done on Friday. Hope England win this one to silence the over confident Indian fans that always bash the Mighty Lankans even though we are greater than any Indian side ever. Come on England bowl them out for 73. Hope you win this one and hope the umpires give some calls against the Indians to further prove the case that DRS is needed. While we win 4-1 in Australia the Indians hopefully will lose 4-1 in home. Now that would be great.

Narbavi
on January 18, 2013, 15:42 GMT

@Herath-UK: lanka will lose bilateral series because of ipl? wow, this is what i label as 'expert comments',

nayonika
on January 18, 2013, 15:40 GMT

Kudos to Jharkand Association on hosting the first international match in Ranchi.

CandidIndian
on January 18, 2013, 15:37 GMT

Top order runs are very crucial if India has to win this series and do well in ODI cricket in future.Gambhir's technique is very poor,he is just playing because of his reputation,Pujara should get chance in his place.This match is very crucial for Indian team because last two matches are in Dharamshala and Mohali, where temperatures will be low and its likely that ball will swing a little bit more.Its good that Dhoni is doing well but we need good batting performance overall.Ashwin is another worry , if Eng bats first and get a good start then has to do well when conditions are not so much in favor of spinners.It will be interesting to see the form of other Indian batsman apart from Dhoni,apart from flat wicket of Rajkot ,top 4 wickets of India have fallen very cheaply.With this poor form in batting India might compete at home but we all know where is the Champions Trophy in June.All the best to both teams.

RichIOW
on January 18, 2013, 15:35 GMT

Briggs should be playing. .................Patel has done well with the bat, but Briggs is a far superior in both thought and execution. Lets face it, if the top 6 perform, we shouldn't need Patel's runs.

Sinhaya
on January 18, 2013, 15:27 GMT

@samincolumbia, come on men. We win an odd ODI in Australia?? What happened in our tour to Australia in Nov 2010? We beat them 2-1 in the ODIs. We beat them 4 out of the 7 times we met in the CB series last year. Now we won 2 in a row. So you are wrong in saying "SL team may win an odd match in Australia". We have won 9 out of the last 14 ODIs we have played against Aussies in Australia.

We are weak in test cricket at the moment, but hope we find someone like Murali to bring us back to how we were from 1998 to 2009! Cricinfo please publish.

Charlie101
on January 18, 2013, 15:23 GMT

Would like to see Woakes in the side again as he is a fine all rounder . I know he did not do much in the last match but I feel he has been under used by England in the past and needs another chance.

Not sure why there are so many posts about Sri Lanka V Australia - not mentioned in the article !!!

LovedFansofIndianCricket
on January 18, 2013, 15:17 GMT

For god sake include Pujara in the Team. He is in the Form of his life. It is not only IMP series but also builing team for Next World cup. So pls give chance ifor pujara first in Indian Condition. He should play in place of Kohli. Kohli also great player but he needs rest and also he likes challenges. He also return with great form in future.

H_Kiran
on January 18, 2013, 15:16 GMT

India should bring in Pujara or Dinda or Amit in place of Ishant.

on January 18, 2013, 15:08 GMT

@ Eat_sleep_play_cricket

stop being arrogant just one win and you started bashing england team

and stop saying crap about srilankan team they just humiliated aussie in front of there home crowd..

i think you forgot our own team lost all 4 test against aus last year without a fight
srilanka fought well in first test..

we did horribly in odis also with just one exception against srilanka in last match of the league..

cheers to srilanka!!!!!!!!!!!
what a game. congrats

kanihla1990
on January 18, 2013, 15:01 GMT

srilankans are much better and powerfull team than a india..... indians are loosing there matches in home grounds,...... look at the srilankan lions they are beating aussies in there home grounds....... go lankans goooooooo..... ..indian bowling line up is the worst line up in the world at d moment......

Herath-UK
on January 18, 2013, 15:01 GMT

Sri Lanka Will always lose in bilateral series, guys you know why obviously with IPL around.However outside the subcontinent they will fight it out,take last ODI series in Australia.Today Sri Lanka came out with a strategy to throw away wickets to chase the low score, had they been defending,there was more chance of a collapse. A well planned strategy it was,whether you win by 10 or 1 wicket win is all that counts.
Ranil Herath - Kent

on January 18, 2013, 15:00 GMT

I understand that this team is not good as the Indian team in past... but this team is in Transition period... They will one day rise up with a perfect 11...

jmcilhinney
on January 18, 2013, 15:00 GMT

@JG2704 on (January 18 2013, 14:36 PM GMT), I can only assume that the thinking is that, while the pacers are going for runs late in the innings, with only four men out, the spinners would likely go for more. The spinners tend to bowl through the middle overs, when the batsmen are trying to consolidate rather than hit everything. I don't necessarily agree with this thinking and believe that Briggs should be given a go too but that must be how the selectors view it because I can't see any other justification for their bowling selections.

samir6336
on January 18, 2013, 14:52 GMT

a sporting wicket producing 350 run?

Sinhaya
on January 18, 2013, 14:51 GMT

@CricketMaan, yes I am not impressed by our win today based on how we made heavy weather out of the small chase. I guess Kohli would have wrapped it up easily in 10 overs. Anyway, I want to stay silent about my team until we win this series. In 2011 in England, after the 3rd ODI we were leading 2-1 but lost the 4th and 5th and the result was 3-2 England. So I am nervous. Good luck to India tomorrow.

samincolumbia
on January 18, 2013, 14:48 GMT

@Herath - Every dog has it's day and today it was the Sri Lankan's day. The SL team choked even to get to 74 and barely managed to get there. The SL team may win an odd match in Australia, but they can never win a TEST in India. HAHA..

Sinhaya
on January 18, 2013, 14:46 GMT

As a Sri Lankan, I want to thank the Indians who congratulated Sri Lanka and a special thanks to Harmony111 too. Good luck to India in tomorrow's ODI. I have no clue at all about this venue in Ranchi and hope the wicket is a good one.

JG2704
on January 18, 2013, 14:36 GMT

I'm sure others have agreed with me on previous threads but is it just us posters who think we should try another spin option at the expense of a pace option. Is it a coincidence that (in India in particular) our slow/spin bowlers have gone for less runs than our pace options?
I could be proven wrong but apart from Finn (who is by no means Mr Economy) our pace bowlers go for runs and I can only see Meaker doing similar. What's the risk in playing Briggs and what's the point in having him out there if you're not going to try him when our pace dept are going for runs?

Eat_Sleep_Play_Cricket
on January 18, 2013, 14:33 GMT

Its funny how Lanka fans compare themselves to TEAM INDIA. No matter how much you jump up and down, 36 all out in South Africa and humiliation test defeatz in Australia (games were over in 2.5 days) still remains the record to be broken. Keep up the good work and i'm sure Australia will have the final say in next ODIs.

English fans who are thinking test is the real cricket, just shows how horrible your team is in other formats. Entire India is laughing at your team.

Sudhir65
on January 18, 2013, 14:32 GMT

Indians should stop idolizing individual players in a team sports. Dhoni's record as Test captain is probably the worst of all- 8 straight away losses in Australia and England. Even in T20, he has not taken India to knock-out stage for 3 straight world cups.

puntertakeson
on January 18, 2013, 14:31 GMT

@Herath Srilanka limped home. They could have lost the match if Australians held both Tillakaratne Dilshan and Lahiru Thirimanne catches. I can assure you even in flat track lankans can't beat this currentIndian team.

Selassie-I
on January 18, 2013, 14:25 GMT

not sura about the curators comments - 'sporting' pitch? sounds like a batting paradise if you're saying that you expect 7 an over. Much prefer lower scoring matches rather than 'how many 6s can you hit' matches. It favours truly skilled batting where the real talent shows through rather than giving nothing to the bowlers and it's just about who can hit the ball hardest.

But we shall see tomorrow at 6am, hopefully it's like the 1st match in the series and close, whatever the outcome.

Harlequin.
on January 18, 2013, 14:22 GMT

Despite being an Englishman, I am hoping Dhoni scores big in this match. His job can't be an easy one, and as one of the great ODI batsmen of this era and one of the hardest working cricketers around atm, he deserves a big score at his home ground. Ideal outcome: Dhoni with a 75-ball ton, in vain!!

Temuzin
on January 18, 2013, 14:21 GMT

Ranchi deserves MSD magic today. Just imagine, happiness of ranchi fans on every four or six MSD will unfurl. I have started hearing that roar of the fans. I hope MSD clicks on this ground. It will be festival for Jharkhand.

NP_NY
on January 18, 2013, 14:19 GMT

@Herath-UK: Thanks for your expert comments in a forum that doesn't involve Srilanka in anyway. And good to see that you have sort of recovered from the pasting Srilanka had received from India both in Srilanka and India in the last few years. :)

QingdaoXI
on January 18, 2013, 14:16 GMT

@Herath-UK, Kulashekara young guy, if so he performs in once in blue moon.

a3k628
on January 18, 2013, 14:15 GMT

Not sure why ppl compare one context of the match to another..India playing England in India and Herath comes and compares it with SL vs Aus in Australia. What happened to SL vs India? Didnt India thrash SL in every series? Be it in India or SL or Aus

class9ryan
on January 18, 2013, 14:09 GMT

Ranchi would be mighty pleased to see MS D. They deserve every bit it as Mahi becomes only the 6th Indian player 2 have captained the Indian team on his home ground

Front-Foot-Lunge
on January 18, 2013, 14:02 GMT

@pom_don, Ironically you can say that for every single one of his comments. Notice also his absence today in lieu of the fact that the Aussie one day game is now as bad as their test game. Absolutely golden.

kumarsSansai
on January 18, 2013, 14:01 GMT

@Herath-UK, i think you forgot 3-0 defeated very soon in Australia. now you saying Sri lanka showing young talent. so who is young, JayaW, Dilshan, Kulsekara or Malinga. Remembered in chasing of 75 SL has lost 6 wickets.

And you predicting about India. India is in bad form i know but we are recovering and soon will reply to world.
You also played T20 world cup final at your home in flat pitches what you have done.
You also played One day world cup final in flat pitches what you have done.

CricketMaan
on January 18, 2013, 13:58 GMT

@Herath-UK - Well done and Congrats..Thanks for your insight on Indian team, something we would have not known until you pointed out. And to your game now, wonder what would have happened if Aus bowled first, remember you still lost 6 wkts when conditions imporved. But the you won...so kudos.. Now go back and enjoy the next game in Sydney and Good Luck.

Tarzansree
on January 18, 2013, 13:57 GMT

no matter what dhoni does... he too wont care if he fails and India wins. by the end of the series India can be No1 in ICC ratings. Go India Go... Go Dhoni Go.

liaqathussain
on January 18, 2013, 13:54 GMT

this odi series is already a series no one remembered,

England have avoided a white wash by winning one game,

the test where are are the real test and one that people remember,

let India win this series and enjoy their moment while the world laughs at them

RockcityGuy
on January 18, 2013, 13:49 GMT

@ Front Foot Lunge : so now that ENGLAND have lost a match its 'starting' to look insignificant is it??? and did cook pieterson bell patel finn et al have double amputations for their feet to be up in england...???:-) you're funny dude..:-D

on January 18, 2013, 13:47 GMT

So Dhoni's ranchi is hosting the odi congrats to the jharkand cricket players they will surely enjoy that they have very very good stadium as bcci constructing new stadiums in every state. but if u see about the pitch if it is flat then india would struggle as their are failing on flat track . They have to restrict england under 300. if they desnt then same case of rajkot will be seen. and our top four batters especially gambhir, yuvraj and virat will be key as dhoni will not play in every match. if these players fail (virat and gambhir) one should be dropped and cheteswar pujara should given the chance as how many chance gambhir shoukd be given. he is totally out of form. god knows what had happens to these delhi players they collectively out of form first sehwag then gambhir, kohli and ishant sharma they look as if they are playing in england swinging wicket. I think dhoni will be under pressure and will be playing consciously as first time he is playing in front of local ranchi crow

Sinhabahu
on January 18, 2013, 13:34 GMT

This is a nice little sub-text to the match.

Temuzin
on January 18, 2013, 13:31 GMT

Dhoni deserves this adulation. He is priceless for Indian cricket Locals are justified in being proud of their most illustrious son. Hail Dhoni.

Herath-UK
on January 18, 2013, 13:22 GMT

Sri Lanka showing young talent winning handsomely in australia whereas the young indians struggling on their flat pitches.I'm certain England will win this contest easily if they can contain Dhoni.
Ranil Herath - Kent

Front-Foot-Lunge
on January 18, 2013, 13:19 GMT

England's youngsters have done well this series, and need to play their natural game to get the best out of themselves. This series, and many said before it even began, has already started to look insignificant. England's test side, the conquerors of India, are all putting their feet up in snowy England, for the youngsters out there in India this is a good test for them.

pom_don
on January 18, 2013, 13:18 GMT

Even though this is not our best ODI side by a long way it will be good if the lads can dig in & bounce back, I am sure if they 'click' they are well capable.

As an aside a note for RandyOz his quote of ' England really are terrible at ODI cricket aren't they? The inevitable slide continues.' should surely now read the same but substitute Australia in place of England !!!!!

ramli
on January 18, 2013, 13:15 GMT

It is indeed an honour to return at the helm and play before the home crowd ... surely MSD will be distracted with emotion ... it is only hoped that he will deliver and India will win

No featured comments at the moment.

ramli
on January 18, 2013, 13:15 GMT

It is indeed an honour to return at the helm and play before the home crowd ... surely MSD will be distracted with emotion ... it is only hoped that he will deliver and India will win

pom_don
on January 18, 2013, 13:18 GMT

Even though this is not our best ODI side by a long way it will be good if the lads can dig in & bounce back, I am sure if they 'click' they are well capable.

As an aside a note for RandyOz his quote of ' England really are terrible at ODI cricket aren't they? The inevitable slide continues.' should surely now read the same but substitute Australia in place of England !!!!!

Front-Foot-Lunge
on January 18, 2013, 13:19 GMT

England's youngsters have done well this series, and need to play their natural game to get the best out of themselves. This series, and many said before it even began, has already started to look insignificant. England's test side, the conquerors of India, are all putting their feet up in snowy England, for the youngsters out there in India this is a good test for them.

Herath-UK
on January 18, 2013, 13:22 GMT

Sri Lanka showing young talent winning handsomely in australia whereas the young indians struggling on their flat pitches.I'm certain England will win this contest easily if they can contain Dhoni.
Ranil Herath - Kent

Temuzin
on January 18, 2013, 13:31 GMT

Dhoni deserves this adulation. He is priceless for Indian cricket Locals are justified in being proud of their most illustrious son. Hail Dhoni.

Sinhabahu
on January 18, 2013, 13:34 GMT

This is a nice little sub-text to the match.

on January 18, 2013, 13:47 GMT

So Dhoni's ranchi is hosting the odi congrats to the jharkand cricket players they will surely enjoy that they have very very good stadium as bcci constructing new stadiums in every state. but if u see about the pitch if it is flat then india would struggle as their are failing on flat track . They have to restrict england under 300. if they desnt then same case of rajkot will be seen. and our top four batters especially gambhir, yuvraj and virat will be key as dhoni will not play in every match. if these players fail (virat and gambhir) one should be dropped and cheteswar pujara should given the chance as how many chance gambhir shoukd be given. he is totally out of form. god knows what had happens to these delhi players they collectively out of form first sehwag then gambhir, kohli and ishant sharma they look as if they are playing in england swinging wicket. I think dhoni will be under pressure and will be playing consciously as first time he is playing in front of local ranchi crow

RockcityGuy
on January 18, 2013, 13:49 GMT

@ Front Foot Lunge : so now that ENGLAND have lost a match its 'starting' to look insignificant is it??? and did cook pieterson bell patel finn et al have double amputations for their feet to be up in england...???:-) you're funny dude..:-D

liaqathussain
on January 18, 2013, 13:54 GMT

this odi series is already a series no one remembered,

England have avoided a white wash by winning one game,

the test where are are the real test and one that people remember,

let India win this series and enjoy their moment while the world laughs at them

Tarzansree
on January 18, 2013, 13:57 GMT

no matter what dhoni does... he too wont care if he fails and India wins. by the end of the series India can be No1 in ICC ratings. Go India Go... Go Dhoni Go.